Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#310 | The Waves Keep on Crashing on Me For Some Reason Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

fter a flurry of activity, we find ourselves in a bit of a lull. And frankly, that's good. We could all use a little bit of a rest. Doing so allows us to catch up, refresh, and anticipate what lies behind the next undoubtedly-busy corner. With E3's multi-pronged replacement readying a barrage of announcements and other newsworthy bits, let's clear what's on our plate at present. Firewalk's divisive Concord has been given a (compelling?) price, PSVR2 is receiving its long-rumored PC adapter, WB loses $200 million on Rocksteady's Suicide Squad game, the original Halo is rumored for release on PS5, and much more. Listener inquiries wrap things up, per usual. Does Astro Bot have the potential to be PlayStation's next big IP? Do Chinese games deserve more respect? Why doesn't PlayStation Network allow you to buy digital titles for your friends? Is Colin a psychopath for embracing the 'sock-shoe, sock-shoe' lifestyle?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:18:57 - Dustin’s baby’s name

0:30:56 - Dusty

0:34:35 - Colin’s Body Pillow

0:40:04 - Ranch

0:42:59 - sock, shoe, sock, shoe

0:49:24 - Slitter’s Return

0:52:50 - Dagan’s IMDB page

0:54:46 - Puff puff

0:58:48 - Tomba: Special Edition dated

1:10:26 - PSVR PC Adapter

1:23:56 - Multiple projects confirmed at Naughty Dog

1:32:55 - Concord price and beta details

1:55:34 - PS5 8K box change

2:10:11 - Is The Last of Us Part 2 PC port done?

2:14:04 - Octopath Traveler is out on PlayStation

2:19:20 - Suicide Squad bombs

2:25:41 - Silent Hill 2 gameplay

2:32:16 - Dragon Age has a new name

2:33:31 - YouTube Leaks

2:34:29 - Amazon’s Yakuza show

2:43:24 - What We’ve Been Playing

3:00:39 - Astro Bot’s potential

3:08:10 - Do we miss E3?

3:15:25 - Game selling regret

3:22:16 - Battle Pass objectives

3:25:02 - Chinese Games

3:29:21 - PSN buying for a friend

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#309 | No One's Dying Dishonorably Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

During Sony's fiscal recent reporting, the company promised that it would further outline its respective situations and plans with each of its internal silos. When it comes to PlayStation, the result was an informative, information-rich PDF and an earnings call-like presentation that gives us a lot of extra insight into the brand. Here's what's clear: PlayStation is economically vibrant, growing, and reaching more than a hundred million people each month. Its generational revenue and profits are at all-time highs. People are spending more on the console than ever, purchasing more content, engaging with more products, and hanging around longer than ever. So, uh... maybe all of that chatter of an industry-wide console decline was a little premature? Sony (and Nintendo) is doing much better than just fine. Other news this week includes details on all 14 games shown during Sony's State of Play stream, including our first look at first party products like Firewalk's Concord and Asobi's all-new AstroBot game, rumors of the next Doom coming to PS5 day-and-date, the mystery behind Dragon Warrior III HD's long-time disappearance and recent return, controversy surrounding the misquoting of Neil Druckmann by Sony's own PR, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! When we say an executive has a fiduciary obligation, what do we mean? Should Sony be worried about Call of Duty going to Xbox Game Pass day one? Why is Activision being sued by the Uvalde shooting parents? Does Colin have any advice for a new Boston Terrier owner?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:18:09 - Texas Tornado

0:22:23 - Boston Terrier advice

0:26:02 - Listening in the shower

0:38:16 - Two rapid questions

0:49:31 - New Doom on PS5

1:11:53 - PSVR2 PC adapter

1:21:50 - Neil Druckmann misquoted

1:45:43 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 announced

1:50:48 - Dragon Quest III HD update

1:57:28 - Dragon's Dogma 2 sells three million

1:59:14 - What are we playing?

2:34:27 - State of Play

3:21:54 - Sony investors meeting

4:09:34 - Days of Play 2024

4:21:07 - Resident Evil rumors

4:31:00 - Circana's April data

4:39:21 - JRPG lingo ranking

4:43:55 - Rebuilding a lost collection

4:51:30 - Will people switch to Xbox for COD on Gamepass?

4:59:54 - What are fiduciary obligations?

5:01:36 - Class Action lawsuit against games

5:14:35 - Was Destiny successful?

Get a free gift with your Journey Pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

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#308 | Second Party Puzzles May 27, 2024

Show notes

We talk about 'first parties' and 'third parties' all the time, and we all fundamentally understand the terms. But what about the mysterious 'second party' game? Where do those fit in? Well, PS5 has recently been the recipient of two key second party exclusives -- Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 and Shift Up's Stellar Blade -- and both have been wildly successful, surpassing the respective expectations surrounding each product. In years past with different studios (think Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Housemarque, and others), this level of accomplishment in the second party (where publishers own the game and/or its publishing rights, but not the team making it) often meant acquisition. But things seem awfully different now. There's no doubt Sony's interested in Arrowhead and Shift Up, but is it mutual? Other news includes hints surrounding PlayStation's bubbling mobile initiative, Ghost of Tsushima's amazing performance on PC, Death Stranding 2 entering its final phases of development, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why are we so obsessed with PlayStation 3 games coming to PS4 and PS5? Have we ever kept a journal to chronicle our experience with a game? With LEGO Horizon rumors amok, what other Sony IP would make sense in that aesthetic? Has Dishwasher Gate officially broken the collective spirit of the Last Stand community?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:29:32 - Last week's unhinged start

0:42:42 - Sacred encouragement

0:45:28 - Southern man epidemic

0:50:15 - "I don't know"

0:59:39 - The Division 3 is coming

1:00:33 - Financial reporting correction

1:02:09 - Trophy completion data

1:05:26 - Where is the time to play games?

1:10:03 - Goodbye London Studio

1:16:10 - Death Stranding releasing in 2025

1:21:52 - Ghost of Tsushima is PlayStation biggest single player PC launch

1:32:27 - Strauss Zelnick is confident in GTA6's release date

1:41:38 - IGN buys everyone

1:55:57 - Rolling Stone revives its gaming coverage with Saudi money

2:15:00 - What we’ve been playing

3:06:28 - Changes at Arrowhead

3:26:11 - Shift Up's future plans

3:39:00 - PlayStation mobile job listings

3:48:50 - Why do we want PS3 emulation?

3:59:28 - Trophy addiction

4:07:15 - Video game journaling

4:12:13 - Dualsense Edging

4:18:22 - Other Lego PlayStation games

4:22:17 - Exclusives shouldn't exist?

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#307 | Two Princes May 20, 2024

Show notes

Jim Ryan's tenure leading PlayStation is officially over (as is Hiroki Totoki's stewardship), and he'll be replaced by a co-CEO format moving forward. Sony veterans Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nashino hope to divide and conquer, turning an ever-growing brand -- and Sony's flagship -- into an efficient gaming powerhouse. But can they deliver? Good question. We discuss. Other news this week revolves around Sony's jam-packed fiscal year financials, Square Enix's abandonment of their by-platform strategy, release dates and timing for the likes of Grand Theft Auto VI, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, and EA NCAA Football 25, a rumored LEGO Horizon game, the cancellation of The Division: Heartland, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Could Helldivers be turned into a mockumentary-style TV show? Would Sony consider stepping in to save Tango Gameworks? Are Chris and Dustin excited about Destiny 2's upcoming The Final Shape expansion? Will we ever stop unintentionally convincing audience members to get divorced?

Get a free gift with your journey pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols to get on your way to being your best self

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:32:19 - Happy Birthday Ethan

0:34:00 - Vampire Robot YouTube channel

0:44:52 - Sacred ending marriages

0:49:37 - Mid Year review

0:52:52 - The next generation of Kingdom Hearts fans

0:58:20 - Sony capitulating

1:00:33 - No new Sony games this year

1:02:07 - The Last of Us Season 2 First look

1:06:15 - Bungie's CTO joins PlayStation

1:11:41 - LEGO Horizon?

1:25:53 - Ghost of Tsushima's PC port Legends mode crossplay is in beta

1:35:25 - Ragnarok rumored to be the next PC port

1:46:17 - Xbox's initiative to bring more games to PlayStation

2:03:22 - PS2 games coming to PS5

2:11:08 - Ubisoft cancels The Division: Heartland

2:25:30 - Adult Swim games reverting ownership to devs

2:27:23 - Tomb Raider TV series coming to Amazon

2:34:28 - What We’re Playing

3:11:45 - GTA VI is launching Fall 2025

3:14:40 - PlayStation has announced two new CEOs

3:29:12 - Sony earnings report

3:50:01 - Square Enix's shift to 3rd party

4:08:49 - Assassin's Creed: Shadows announced

4:26:42 - New PS Plus Games Catalog titles

4:29:38 - Helldivers TV adaptation pitch

4:34:05 - LSM Showcase live reaction?

4:40:23 - Could Sony scoop up what remains of Tango?

4:42:46 - Final Shape gut check

4:46:41 - RNG woes

4:52:38 - Uncharted 5 tease

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#306 | To Hell and Back May 13, 2024

Show notes

What a week! It seemed like we were just done recording last week when Helldivers 2-related drama broke out, and yet by the time we were ready to record this time around, the situation had mostly settled. How serendipitous for us and our analysis. Now, we're left to reflect and ask some questions, starting with why Sony had to push the first domino in this scenario over at all. Couldn't they just leave well enough alone? And how does this portend the reception of future PC releases from the PlayStation camp? Other news this week includes major layoffs and closures at Fallout and Doom publisher Bethesda (plus what that means for Xbox's uncertain future), percolating rumors of an imminent PlayStation Showcase, confirmation that -- yes indeed! -- Media Molecule is making a game and not a service or toolset, Remedy bailing out of its multiplayer project as Alan Wake 2 still fails to break even, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. How do we choose what game to play next? Was Days Gone 'right-wing'? Are in-game animations getting out of control? Can Colin help revive a long-maligned (but incredibly descriptive) word?

Get a free gift with your journey pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:27:43 - King Radec

0:33:36 - Too long?

0:45:03 - R word uptick

0:56:14 - Derek’s Journey

0:59:28 - Colin, the gardener

1:01:01 - Next PS Showcase

1:14:15 - Helldivers 2 Drama

1:45:06 - Xbox/Bethesda studio closures

2:47:55 - Switch 2 incoming

2:54:31 - Media Molecule’s next game

2:55:38 - Alan Wake 2 hasn’t made a profit

3:02:31 - April’s best selling PSN games

3:05:03 - What we’ve been playing

3:30:15 - How do we decide what to play next?

3:38:22 - Why Sony killed Days Gone

3:42:23 - Returnal turning point

3:44:48 - Too much realism?

3:53:01 - Saved video game item from a natural disaster

3:59:24 - Being watched (playing video games)

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#305 | Man the Floodgates May 06, 2024

Show notes

Times, they are a-changin'. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is rightfully pleased with Xbox's performance on the PlayStation Store, bragging about being the biggest publisher on PSN while presenting Microsoft's recent financial report. His company has seven games in the top 25, more than even Sony itself. So, uh, batten down the hatches, because you're inevitably about to get way more Xbox on PS5. Plus: Fresh leaks show us how Sony's digital games have sold in recent years, Square Enix writes-down $140 million in losses while cancelling multiple games, Take Two guts its Private Division label, Kingdom Hearts promises to horrify in film form, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. Based on recent moves by a rival, would Last Stand Media ever consider going platform-free with all of its content? Which drug from the Fallout universe are we most likely to become addicted to? How can a small indie game garner any attention in such a crowded market? What is it that Chris actually does all day?

Get a free gift with your journey pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:19:34 - RIP Claire, the Dutch Shepherd

0:25:56 - Sacred subs

0:29:40 - Take the leave Dustin

0:42:47 - Why is Chris busy?

0:55:25 - The last time we applied for a job

1:06:18 - Platform focused podcasts

1:26:41 - Returnal comic

1:38:59 - Firesprite director laid off

1:40:35 - New PSN social feature

1:51:06 - Rise of the Ronin is outselling Nioh

1:56:08 - Shinji Mikami wants to get away from survival horror

2:04:34 - Private Division closes Roll7 and Intercept games

2:16:16 - A Kingdom Hearts film is coming

2:21:04 - AAA GI Joe

2:23:24 - 750 million downloads for eFootball

2:24:22 - What we’re playing

3:04:12 - Xbox's 3rd party future

3:25:38 - PSN sales data leaks

3:41:57 - Square Enix cancelations and changes

4:00:06 - March NPD

4:07:55 - New PS Plus games

4:12:04 - Publicity for a small game

4:16:41 - Fallout chems

4:21:37 - Video game gambling

4:28:25 - Underrated influential games

4:36:00 - Crunch vs over hiring

4:39:17 - PSN stats

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#304 | Too Big to Succeed Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

Embracer Group's downfall will be long-studied as an example of capitalistic hubris you rarely see, even in our ruthlessly capitalist society. Following mass layoffs, spin-offs, and studio closures, Embracer will ultimately split into three smaller, more manageable entities, instead of acting as a lone unit with more employees than the entire PlayStation brand, including all of its studios combined (seriously). It's just another example of people in positions of power somehow knowing less about their industry, the economy, and business than completely random people that do a video game podcast. Other news: Stellar Blade's "Hard R" controversy, the permanent closure of LittleBigPlanet's UGC servers, the cultural revival of the Fallout franchise on the back of a successful Amazon show, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! How do we feel about Ubisoft's apparent abandonment of the Watch Dogs franchise? Are gaming cookbooks the new rage? Can you be a fan of video games without actually playing them? Will British people ever acknowledge Americans' acumen with a map?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:21:44 - Where is Sacred 300?

0:25:25 - Sacred through college

0:32:10 - Quintin's surgery

0:39:52 - British people

0:46:20 - PS Stars points correction

0:52:35 - LBP goes offline

1:09:36 - Hard R Shop

1:32:07 - Fallout show is getting another season

1:44:57 - Metaphor ReFantazio releases October11

1:48:53 - What we’re playing

2:36:34 - Embracer's downfall

2:53:42 - Watch Dogs is dead

3:01:11 - Dustin raising a gamer

3:09:56 - Is capitalism the problem?

3:13:29 - Gaming cookbooks

3:21:51 - Colin’s trophy inconsistencies

3:25:03 - Am I broken?

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#303 | The Unified Field Theory Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

For better or for worse, modern console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft -- and even Nintendo -- are slowly learning that sustained success in the mid-to-long-term will require a wider view. Whether via mobile, or PC, or even your competitors' own machines, a certain message is getting through to the powers-that-be, and when it comes to Sony, the Japanese giant seems committed to opening a second front on home computers in particular. Thus comes word of a new PlayStation overlay that will launch with Ghost of Tsushima on PC this May, another step in a direction towards an inevitable conclusion. Other news this week includes so-called "transmog" drama in Helldivers 2, pending layoffs at publisher Take Two, compelling rumors of remakes for the original Persona game and its sequel, additional PS5 Pro details, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Do we track our gaming backlogs? Does Tencent's minority ownership of Stellar Blade developer Shift Up give us pause? How far back in time could you go before you could -- in no way, shape, or form -- explain what a video game was? Can British people ever overcome their insane shared vocabulary?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:26:55 - Sacred in Antigua

0:30:12 - British Vernacular

0:36:22 - Colin's Networking Solution

0:41:10 - Chris Ray Trump

0:43:09 - Dustin's vacancy

0:55:45 - Marriage insight

0:58:05 - Chess.com

1:10:39 - Ampere Analysis

1:16:23 - No Helldivers 2 transmog

1:22:04 - Take Two layoffs

1:36:08 - Ascendant Studios furloughed

1:37:37 - Persona remakes?

1:42:16 - March top downloads

1:45:39 - Possibility Space shut down

2:01:37 - Keanu Reeves cast in Sonic 3

2:02:48 - What We’re Playing

2:37:58 - PlayStation trophies on PC

2:56:54 - New PS5 Pro leaks

3:19:02 - Have we used Backloggd?

3:26:16 - Will companies chase the success of Helldivers?

3:35:47 - How do you explain video games to the past?

3:43:32 - Shift Up and Tencent

3:48:33 - Divergent timelines and parallel universes

3:54:57 - How do our personalities play into our taste?

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#302 | SOCOMeback Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

We've long-wondered what Sony's plans were with its dormant SOCOM franchise (or if it even had plans at all). After all, we can't just ignore the success the likes of Ubisoft have found with titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, and even in a post-Zipper Interactive world, it always felt like PlayStation's tactical shooter never really got a fair shake at success after its PS2 heyday. So color us both pleased and surprised when information from the resumé of a deceased actor pointed towards a SOCOM game that no one had ever even heard of: SOCOM 111. While it's fairly clear this project never got off the ground (or did it?), its existence gives us a fleeting glimpse into Sony's potential plans, and frankly, we can help but wonder if Zipper's defunct series may yet see the light of day in the future. Other news this week includes a release date for Star Wars: Outlaws, Vampire Survivors finally migrating to PlayStation platforms, Stellar Blade going gold, potential hiring for a new God of War game at Santa Monica studio, copious Destiny 3 and Dead Space 2 Remake rumors, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will PlayStation's colorful old logo ever make a return? Do we ever rename the characters in our digital adventures? What's our worst 'losing progress in a game' experience? Should one listener extract his stolen garbage bin from his neighbor, no matter the cost?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:42:47 - Do you know what we look like?

0:46:42 - Colin's internet problems

0:55:01 - The return of Hector

0:57:14 - Micah Stan

1:00:19 - "clowns, the good kind"

1:07:05 - Plane worries

1:12:45 - Garbage can situation

1:21:36 - Portal hack correction

1:23:55- Stellar Blade has gone gold.

1:29:25 - Santa Monica Studio gearing up for a new God of War

1:37:47 - Dead Space 2 Remake drama

1:54:14 - Sea of Thieves PS5 closed beta

1:59:48 - Is Destiny 3 in development?

2:15:30 - Yuji Naka returns

2:19:41 - Fallout 4 next gen update

2:29:37 - What we've been playing

3:16:44 - New SOCOM rumors

3:32:42 - Star Wars Outlaws has a release date.

3:45:56 - Vampire Survivors is coming to PS5

3:53:25 - New PS Plus games

4:00:37 - Cozy games

4:09:08 - Will the original PlayStation logo come back?

4:15:23 - How do we name characters in games?

4:20:59 - Why do games keep getting greenlit?

4:28:00 - Game crash woes

4:33:38 - Ubisoft hate

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#301 | It's Never Too Late to Reinvent the Bicycle Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing the newest PlayStation 5 Pro rumors, and now we have fresh scuttlebutt to parse through, particularly concerning our precious framerates and the potential of the still-unannounced console. But we can't help but also wonder what PS5's market potential will be. Will it spread the field or, as it's recently been suggested, merely sell to existing PS5 players? Heck, is there any saving console gaming at all in the long-term? Let's take some time to chat about all of that, plus other news: Helldivers 2's new patch, day-one games coming to PS+ Extra, Silent Hill 2 Remake's ESRB rating, revised PlayStation 2 sales numbers, and so much more. Then: Listener inquiries! How much to we absorb a given game's internal lore, codices, documentation, and so on? Are we ever going to figure out what a 'Soulsborne' actually is? Could a new Shark Tank-like show aimed at indie games help exciting products find their audience? Is Dustin hiding anything else from Colin and Chris that he'd like to talk about?

Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro

0:27:41 - Is game drama exclusive on Twitter?

0:44:39 - Universal LSM fans

0:59:49 - Retro PlayStation Magazine

1:04:05 - Chris's Red Pants

1:12:37 - Tips for moving in together

1:18:10 - IGN's Zelda April Fools

1:21:19 - PlayStation Store Spring Sale

1:27:56 - New PS5 Pro news

1:41:51 - Helldivers 2 update